Israel

Israel is more than a land—it is a question, a promise, and a struggle. It stands at the crossroads of history and destiny, where ancient longing meets modern reality. It is the reawakening of a people to its land, language, and responsibility. Yet this return is fraught with moral and spiritual challenges, calling for courage, humility, and an ongoing search for justice.

  • A Slap in the Face to the Holy One Blessed Be He?

    Some Afterthoughts on Tish’ah be-Av

    In Israel, Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Tisha B’Av by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    I must confess that this year’s Tish’ah be-Av was the first time in 54 years (since I was 16) that I did not go to synagogue to hear Eichah (the reading from the Scroll of Lamentations) and recite kinot (elegies written by famous sages throughout the centuries regarding the destruction of both Temples and the many later tragedies that befell the Jewish people).

  • Open Think Tank meeting - March 2017

    Session 8: The Founding of the State of Israel and the Challenge of Halachic Living

    In Halacha and Israel by Yael Shahar

    The think tank discusses whether the founding of the State of Israel has changed how we approach Halacha and its mode of development, as well as what kind of changes can be made to the halachic system.

  • Have Some Pity on the Anti-Semite!

    In Israel by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    The Jews are a nuisance. They break the rules of history, survive against all odds, and contribute disproportionately to the world. No wonder they are so difficult to tolerate. This essay offers a bold and provocative reflection on why anti-Semitism persists—and what it reveals.

  • The Great Gentile Aliyah Movement

    A tongue-in-cheek prophecy

    In Israel by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    We will soon have to expand our borders at the request of millions of Europeans, Americans and possibly many others who will wish to come on Aliyah.

  • On The Israeli-Arab Conflict: A Biblical Perspective

    In Abraham, Israel and Parashat Bereshit by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    History is not made up of social, political, or economic factors alone, but also of spiritual forces that have far-reaching moral implications. The Torah and Jewish tradition may help us achieve deeper insight.

  • Israel’s Security and the Need for Strangerhood

    In Israel by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    As usual, residents of the State of Israel are once again threatened by political unrest in the Middle East, which is escalating day by day...Within Israel as well, strife and discord rock the country...One wonders why the Jews, like no other people, throughout thousands of years of their history, were never able to develop into a stable, secure nation...

  • A Phenomenon Called Israel

    In Israel by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Throughout the centuries, historians, philosophers and anthropologists have struggled with the notion called Israel more than with nearly any other topic. While attempting to place Israel within the confines of conventional history, they experienced constant academic and philosophical frustration. Any definitions they suggested eventually broke down due to serious inconsistencies. Was Israel a nation, a […]

  • The Israeli Flag

    The State of Confusion

    Thoughts on Yom HaAzmaut, 2008

    In Israel and Yom Ha’atzmaut by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    What is at the core of the current crisis of leadership in Israel is a fundamental misreading of the nature and destiny of the Jewish people and the total lack of Jewish pride among our leaders.

  • The Challenge of Chareidi Exceptionalism

    Part 2 of a series on Chareidi challenges to the State of Israel

    In Israel by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Integration of the Chareidim into the State of Israel poses unique challenges. Navigating these challenges successfully will necessitate major changes in Chareidi education and lifestyle.

  • A Chareidi Jewish State?

    Part 1 of a series on Chareidi challenges to the State of Israel

    In Israel by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    The increasing Chareidi population poses significant challenges to the State of Israel. At the same time, the secular nature of the State is seen as a significant threat to the Chareidi community. This series examines the challenges, and potential outcomes.

  • Toward a Solution

    Israel's dilemma in the wake of the withdrawal from Gaza

    In Israel and Parashat Ha'azinu by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    In Parashat Ha’azinu, the Torah warns of the severe consequences that the people of Israel will suffer if they do not live up to their religious and moral mission. However, it's possible that these verses also prove that what is now happening to the Jewish people and to the State of Israel is not the result of random forces or political turmoil. They prove as clearly as can be that God is in charge and that His providence is at work through its very apparent absence.

  • Israel’s Uniqueness and its Future

    In Israel by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    The condemnation of Israel by the nations of the world and the confusion of its leadership, together with its unprecedented successes, are just more examples of its uniqueness. Paradoxically, the more the nations condemn Israel because it does not meet the conditions of normalcy, the more they prove Israel’s distinctiveness.

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